Tonight, at 7 p.m., at Gella’s diner in downtown Hays, the Fort Hays State University’s Science Cafe will host its 49th meeting with a discussion moderated by Trey Hill, assistant professor of psychology, titled Evolutionary Economics: What Darwin Might Tell Us About the Motivations to Make Risky Financial Decisions.<\/p>\n
Before the event, Hill provided the Tiger Media Network information about Science Cafe’s and the discussion he is hosting.<\/p>\n
What is the Science Cafe about?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “The cafe is a gathering of people who have an interest in scientific topics, people want to learn in an informal and fun setting. It is also a great way to communicate science and science education to the public.”<\/p>\n What types of sciences are a part of the Science Caf\u00e9?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “There are not really any restrictions on the types of science discussed at science cafes. In the past we have heard speakers ranging from physicists to biologists, and geologists to myself, a psychologist.”<\/p>\n What can you tell T.M.N. readers about the discussion of evolutionary economics? <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “My talk is about how evolutionary psychology can be used to make predictions about when and why people might make risky financial decisions. Traditional economics assumes that most people are either purely rational, or that they would be rational if they were given enough time and cognitive ability. Evolutionary theory makes very different predictions about what we should do, and it also redefines what we would normally call “rational” behavior. Instead of maximizing monetary amounts or utility the name of the game is to maximize fitness in a biological sense.”<\/p>\n The Science Caf\u00e9 will celebrate is 50th meeting on March 12th is there any information that you can provide to the T.M.N. readers? <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “The science cafe will celebrate its 50th meeting by having Chris Mooney present at the FHSU Robbins Center. This will be a great event. This occasion marks the importance of having a successful science outreach program in the public by having a very well known science writer (Mooney) speak.”<\/p>\n Are there more locations for the Science Caf\u00e9 around the country other than Hays? <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “There are many other science cafes across the country and even the world. These cafes can be in any city, but they tend to be in larger communities and smaller communities with some type of university presence. These events are free to the public and are intentionally designed to be casual and fun events. The presenters try to make the science as understandable as possible in order to reach a larger audience.”<\/p>\n